Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 4.djvu/148

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NOTES AND Q UERIES. m s. iv. AUG. 19, 1911.

the sale of his works, and in this regard he wore " his heart on his sleeve," and certainly talked to others of it in a way never done, before or since, by any author of his position. He was candour itself. " Have you seen the abuse of my last number ? What am I to turn my hand to ? They are getting tired of my novels." To Trollope he said of 'Esmond' "They don't read it." "So you don't mean to publish my work ? " he said once, as Trollope relates, "to a publisher in an open company." All this shows a different Thackeray from what the outside world supposed him to be sad and depressed because of the slow sale of his books as compared with those of Dickens.

We wonder now that Thackeray should have looked upon Dickens as a rival, and not have perceived from what a totally different standpoint his own works must be regarded. The subjects chosen by Dickens were those sure to secure a large sale. The cruelties perpetrated on workhouse ap- prentices, the bad administration of the Poor Laws, the delays in the Court of Chancery, cruelties in boys' schools, the clerks at Somerset House, well described as the Circumlocution Office such topics at once commanded attention, and the stories in which they were related contributed in a considerable measure to many reforms ; but, although sales were large, they did not reach their zenith until Dickens gave his last course of readings at St. James's Hall.

These, while they added to his fame, hastened the end. I shall never forget the Bill Sikes and Kancy scenes, so graphic and yet so terrible. One felt sure that mischief must result from the great passion he threw into them. The effect was painfu] to me. Much more enjoyable was his reading of ' The Christmas Carol ' at St Martin's Hall on Christmas Eve, 1858 I seem to hear the boy's cry of " Walker ! ' even after all these years, when Scrooge told him to buy the turkey. I still have the copy of the ' Carol ' given to my father by Dickens. Of the ' Carol ' Thackeray exclaimed : " Who can listen to objections regarding such a book as this ? It seems t( me a national benefit, and to every mar who reads it a personal kindness."

I have endeavoured to get some statistic as to the relative sales of the works of the two novelists, but, owing to the large sale; of many of those of which the copy

ght has expired, I find this to be impossible he sale of the first number of The Cornhil was considerably over 200,000, and, althoug]

his large number cannot be altogether ittributable to the fact that Thackeray was he editor, yet to a considerable extent it was ue to that. I am informed that the sale of Vanity Fair ' in the " Pocket Edition " ms exceeded 50,000 ; the " Edition de ..uxe," limited to a thousand copies, is irtually sold out ; and, besides these, since he " Library Edition " of 1867-9 there have een five collected editions, so there is no- ear of any diminution of Thackeray's opularity.

Although Trollope wrote that "in no dis-

>lay of mental force did Thackeray rise

above '.Barry Lyndon,'" and that * Es-

nond,' which is a general favourite with the

ritics, is " the greatest work that Thackeray

Lid," the two most sought for are ' Vanity

?air ' and ' The Newcomes,' tho former

aking the lead. Thackeray is so much in the

labit of reintroducing his characters that

o enjoy him thoroughly he should be read,

not in the order in which his works were

published, but following the periods to which

hey relate. More particularly should this

}lan be adopted with ' Esmond ' (1678-

1718) ; ' The Virginians,' which is a con-

inuation ; ' Pendennis ' (1811-38) ; ' Vanity

Fair' (1814-30); ' The Newcomes ' (1833-

1845) ; * A Shabby Genteel Story ' (1836) ;

and ' Philip ' (1833-55).

As regards The Cornhill, Thackeray had not the making of a good editor, although bis great name gave it a splendid start ; he was not sufficiently systematic, besides which his kind heart caused him pain when he had to reject contributions. The " thorns in the cushion were too much for him " ; his health broke down, and, following the advice of his physician, he resigned.

Dickens was much like him in this respect, for although he conducted his own maga- zine first Household Words, then All the Year Round he handed the work of the consideration of MSS. to his faithful helper W. H. Wills, who was ever kind and courteous to those whose manuscript had to be re- turned. I still preserve a letter of his written to me in such circumstances, so full of kindly advice that it is always a pleasure to me to read it. He was regarded with affection by every one who had to do with All the Year Pound. Mrs. Lynn Lin ton, a constant contributor, looked upon Wills as " one of her dearest friends " ; but Dickens, like Thackeray, when alone failed as an editor. His editorship of The Daily News must have been one of the^ shortest in the history of English journalism nineteen days, when he resigned, "tired